


The Long Way Home

by crystalkei



Series: The Long Way Home [1]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-08 18:17:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5507948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalkei/pseuds/crystalkei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is an HGTV AU! Clarke and Bellamy are the hosts of Love It or List It but ratings have tanked and the network has given them one last family holiday special to wrap up their long running home improvement competition show. They've made careers out of hating each other on TV for the entertainment of others, but maybe now that the show is almost over they will realize they're sort of perfect for each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Long Way Home

**Author's Note:**

> I sure hope my BSS person loves this! 
> 
> I've tried to succinctly explain the show but if you're still not sure, a quick read of the overview on wikipedia should help. Or just ask me. :) I watch entirely too much HGTV.

Clarke and Bellamy sat across the conference table from each other. She was staring at her phone, he was tapping his fingers on the tabletop.

“Raven’s late,” he said glancing at his watch.

“She always is,” Clarke responded without looking up from her phone.

Bellamy continued to fidget. “I have other shit to do, she’s really late.”

“Oh please, we’re about to be tied down for an episode for three weeks, you don’t have other shit to do,” she said finally looking up from her phone.

Just as Bellamy was about to fire back at her Raven walked in, her hair was a mess, she had bags under her eyes, and she was carrying a stack of folders in one hand and an energy drink in the other.

“So we’re fucked,” Raven said sitting down at the head of the table.

“How exactly?” Clarke asked shortly.

Raven took a deep breath, looked at each of them nodding her head, pulled a paper out of the folder for each of them, and slid it across the table.

“Ratings have tanked, people aren’t loving the antagonistic relationship you two have anymore,” Raven explained.

Bellamy looked over the paper, ratings breakdowns, focus group comments, charts on how the ratings had shifted over the last five seasons.

“Hating each other grabbed us markets that no other show on this network could get,” Bellamy said.

“We’ve pretty much coasted on bickering to sell the show, now you’re telling us it’s not?” Clarke asked, irritation lacing her voice.

“People are tired of you, it happens.” Raven sighed.

“Bullshit,” Bellamy said. “House Hunters has been running for elevenity billion seasons. No one is tired of that! There’s seven spinoffs, for Christ’s sake!”

“There’s only four spinoffs, dumbass,” Clarke corrected him. “But he’s not wrong otherwise.”

“Don’t shoot the messenger. I’m pissed, too,” Raven said. “We’ve got one more episode to shoot, it’s the holiday special and maybe if we can pull it together then they’ll consider renewing us.”

“Pull it together how?” Clarke asked, raising an eyebrow.

“First, we’re gonna humanize you,” Raven said as though it were the easiest thing in the world.

Bellamy frowned, offended. “Humanize us? I mean, sure maybe the ice queen over there, but I’m a household name! I’m one of People’s sexiest men!”

“Not this again,” Clarke grumbled. “You were number 100. If Jeremy Renner hadn’t pissed off every woman in the world by being a shit about the wage gap, you wouldn’t be on that goddamn list.”

Bellamy kicked her under the table.

“Nice, real mature, resorting to violence,” she said.

“My foot slipped,” Bellamy lied unconvincingly.

“Step two,” Raven said after she cleared her throat loudly. “It’s a family holiday special.”  
  
Both of them groaned, Bellamy threw his head back whereas Clarke chose to put her head on the table.

“We can’t do my mom again, we already did her and it was a nightmare,” Clarke said when she finally lifted her head.

Bellamy remembered. It was one thing they could both agree on, working with Clarke’s mother was the worst. Even though it was a setup.

Reality TV in the home improvement genre was always some kind of a trick. _House Hunters_ were never really hunting those houses, they’d already purchased the house, they were just set up to look like they were looking for houses.

When Clarke and Bellamy’s show, _Love It or List It,_ did a family episode, it was all a setup.

A typical episode had a couple divided. One person wanted to move out of their old home into a new one. The other person wanted to renovate the old home and stay in it. Clarke’s job was to find the perfect new home and sway the person who wanted to “love” the old house. Bellamy’s job was to renovate the old home to convince the person who wanted to move that they didn’t want to “list” the old house. Clarke and Bellamy had thrived on the contentious and competitive relationship they had as co-hosts and rivals for years.

But for the family episodes, instead of a couple where one person wanted to sell the old house in favor of a new one, and the other person wanted to remodel instead of selling, they basically gifted their family a shit ton of upgrades in their home. Bellamy ended up with the brunt of the work on the last family episode and Clarke actually came to the house to help him. He wasn’t sure if she felt guilty or if she wanted to run far away from her mother. Probably a little of both. Actually, now that he thought about it, the mom episode was the only time they didn’t stay at each other’s throats.

“Octavia and Lincoln are actually thinking about selling their house,” Raven explained.

Bellamy tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “They don’t own that house, they’re not even married.”

“They own it, they bought it two years ago when the owner wanted out of the rental business. I’m not surprised she didn’t tell you,” Raven said rolling her eyes. “You’d have lectured her about not being married again.”

Clarke snorted from across the table and he side eyed her.

“And you’ve already got this worked out with them? All the prep? They’ve signed for it?” Clarke asked.

“They’ve signed. We’re going to the site tomorrow,” Raven said picking up her folders. “The crew is ready. I know the last time we did a family episode we doubled our days on site, but the network isn’t going for that. We’ll get four weeks instead of three and we’ll have to rush. Clarke, you will need to show Octavia and Lincoln homes and I know that takes longer than if we’re faking it.”

Clarke nodded. Bellamy was steeling himself. He didn’t have time to worry about the fact that he and Octavia hadn’t been on the best of terms lately. They needed to make this episode good. It was their last chance.

“One more thing,” Raven said as she stood up. “You have to thaw the ice, guys, act like you don’t hate each other. Be nice!”  
  
“Won’t the audience get whiplash seeing that? I can already see the tweets, ‘Are they banging now? They’re never that nice!’” Clarke said.

“I will tweet myself to stop those kind of rumors. Every single person who tweets that will get a reply from me, I have a rep to maintain,” Bellamy said locking eyes with Clarke, smirking at her.

“A rep as the slutty one on this show,” Clarke snapped.  
  
“I’m not the one who was caught by paparazzi doing blow off a coed’s stomach in Miami,” Bellamy said with a scoff and a knowing look.

“That was one time!” Clarke defended. “And I didn’t even have sex with her. I should have but the douche with the camera ruined my chances. The one time I try to be adventurous and everything went sideways very quickly.”

“You’re terrible at having fun, Griffin,” Bellamy said with a raised eyebrow. “No wonder you never do it.”

Clarke gave him a look.

“Okay well the being nice part is clearly going to require the most work,” Raven said with a deep sigh. “We’re doomed.”

 

\--

 

Clarke had met Octavia a handful of times. The first time was at their first season wrap party. She happened to be in town and she happened to bring her new boyfriend. Clarke had enjoyed watching Bellamy squirm and try not to be pissed at this huge guy. He had resting bitch face and didn’t laugh at any of Bellamy’s jokes. (Clarke learned later that Lincoln was just shy and reserved, but it was funny at the time.)

The second time Clarke met her was when Bellamy fell off some scaffolding during season 3 and broke his arm. Octavia was his emergency contact and Clarke was in the ambulance with him because he wouldn't let anyone else leave the build site, they were too far behind. Raven wasn’t there and even though he told her not to, Clarke came anyway. She knew he hated hospitals since his mom had died and she didn’t want him to be on his own in an ambulance.

So meeting Octavia today wasn’t cause for anxiety. She didn’t really think Octavia was going to sell her house and she thought she might be able to phone in this last episode, letting her cohost take on the bulk of the work.

Clarke sat down at the table where Lincoln and Octavia were already seated. They made small talk about Thanksgiving and Clarke found it odd that Bellamy was late. He wasn’t usually, so Clarke decided to go ahead and start.

“Raven is at your house setting up everything. She’ll have you guys sit down and talk about what you each want, what you want out of a new home.” Clarke gestured to Octavia. “And what you’d like done to the existing home to make it more livable.” She smiled at Lincoln. “We can start with your list, Octavia, since your brother is running a little late.”

“I’m not messing around, I know sometimes on the show you guys have people who really don’t want to move, I know the magic and all that, I really don’t want to stay in our in our house,” Octavia said directly.

Lincoln blew out air like this was a conversation he’d had many times and he hated it. So much for phoning it in. Clarke took out her pad and pen and nodded to Octavia for her to continue but Bellamy interrupted anything she might have said.  

“Sorry, couldn’t find a place to park,” he offered.

The waitress walked over to them and everyone just ordered drinks except for Octavia.

“Can I have a cobb salad? But no feta and can I have another water? I’m just so thirsty,” she said with a smile to the waitress.

“Okay, well if you’re done, we can start,” Bellamy said, irritation clear in his voice.

“Clarke already started. I was just about to tell her what I wanted in a new house.”

Bellamy’s jaw tightened but he made some sort of noise to suggest she should go on.

“So what are you looking for in a new house?” Clarke started, picking up her pen again ready to take notes.

Octavia’s eyes lit up and she started talking a mile a minute, “Three bedrooms. We have two now and it’s just not enough space. Something in our neighborhood, I love the area, it’s so family friendly so I don’t want to move far. I saw some houses at the end of the street, there’s a cul de sac behind our house that has one up for sale as well, oh we’d love a garage. Lincoln, don’t roll your eyes, he would, he’d like a garage. We never have anywhere for people to park when we have parties.”  
  
“We don’t have parties anymore, we just watch Netflix because we’re so tired from work and we’re old and mar-” Lincoln stopped and Clarke bit her lip.

Something big was about to happen.

“Was he about to say you’re married now?” Bellamy said once he’d stopped gaping.

Octavia took a deep breath and Lincoln’s face went stoic. Bellamy though, his leg started to shake up and down under the table. He did that when he was nervous, she knew from network meetings with him. She hoped that meant he wasn’t mad.

“We may have just decided to have a small wedding in June,” Octavia explained, trying to keep her voice even.

“So small you didn’t invite your only living relative,” Bellamy said with a scoff.

“It was crazy small. Like courthouse small.” Octavia forced a smile and then held up her left hand and wiggled her fingers showing off her ring.

Bellamy’s eyes looked like they might pop out of his head and then he looked at Lincoln. Lincoln was huge. Bigger than Bellamy. But Clarke thought she saw just a little bit of fear on his face.

“We just decided to do it one day. We didn’t plan it. You were probably out of town anyways, working on your show,” Lincoln said as he leaned back in his chair as though he needed to put those few centimeters of extra space between he and Bellamy.

Clarke raised her hand in the air and motioned for the server to come to the table. The act meant Bellamy had to restrain himself for a few more minutes.

“Can you get him a Heineken please?” she asked the server.

“Why did you order me a beer?” he asked leaning in closer to her.

“So you’ll chill the fuck out and let us finish this preshow interview, you can yell at your sister later but right now we are working on a clock, remember?” she whispered but it was pointless, Octavia and Lincoln were only two feet away. They definitely heard her.

Clarke was mostly telling the truth. She also didn’t want to see the way this was going to play out and she already knew that Bellamy was going to be useless for half the day moping over his sister’s decisions. Her costar was very emotional and they couldn’t afford that. They had a lot of work to do in a little bit of time.

“Back to what you guys want,” Clarke said.

Octavia cleared her throat and smiled at Clarke gratefully. “At least three bedrooms, our current house doesn’t have a master bathroom and it’s frustrating. I’d really like double sinks.”  
  
“Bellamy can put double sinks in an en suite in our house, I bet he can just knock down some walls and…” Lincoln looked to Bellamy.

“I’ve seen your second floor, there’s no room for double sinks,” he snapped. “I mean I can see if the beams in the covered porch are load bearing and can handle an addition on the back of the house. If that works I could probably get you another bedroom and an en suite master bath but that’s a big if.”

“You’re supposed to try and win this competition,” Clarke reminded Bellamy.

Bellamy huffed and Clarke turned back to Octavia. “What else?”

“His and hers closets!” Octavia clapped her hands together. “We do not have enough space in our closets right now.”

“Gender compartmentalized storage, got it,” Clarke said as she recorded everything on her list.

“Gender compartmentalized storage?” Octavia repeated.

“Clarke is trying to get people to say gender compartmentalized storage because it’s more inclusive language,” Bellamy explained.

Clarke was happy that Bellamy agreed with her on things like that. They had a real platform to help spread better terminology and she was so glad that Bellamy supported the idea.

“Okay, well sign us up for gender compartmentalized storage in our current house, you can do that right, Bellamy?” Lincoln suggested.

“Sure,” he replied taking a drink of the beer the server had just put down in front of him.  
  
Bellamy never took notes. It made Clarke crazy because she was sure he was going to forget everything but he never did. He remembered crazy precise details that she would never catch if she didn’t write it all down. She envied his ability.

“Look, I just don’t want to move the fucking couch. It’s so heavy,” Lincoln said, his eyes pleading for Bellamy to get the house right.

“Shit, I don’t want to move that couch, I remember helping you move it in, my first car weighed less than that couch,” Bellamy said. “I’m gonna have like four of my guys move it while we do the renovations. Speaking of that, what about your main floor, are you happy with it?”

“I want a more open concept,” Octavia chimed in.

“Of course you do, everyone wants a goddamn open concept, why? Walls aren’t bad, when did walls become evil?” Bellamy threw up his hands. “Walls hold up your house!”

Clarke had heard this rant roughly 37 times. She sighed.

“People like open concept, it’s very in right now, shut up and knock some walls down or lose the competition.”

“Fine, open concept, three bedrooms, a master bathroom, double closets, anything else?” Bellamy asked sharply.

“No, I think that’s it,” Octavia chirped happily.

Lincoln looked at him forlorn. “Please, I don’t want to move the couch.”

“Got it, man, I’ll do my best.”

“I’m going to show you some homes tomorrow.” Clarke smiled brightly, happy that she’d avoided a major showdown between the fighting siblings.

\--

 

“It’s not that bad. Look, I’m going to move some things around, push out that second story, it’s basically in the bag,” Bellamy bragged. “I know exactly what to do for her to make her want to stay.”

“I mean your sister has one foot out the door and is dying to ditch the place, but sure, you’ve got this in the bag, just knock down all these walls,” Clarke gestured to the wall separating the kitchen from the dining room and then to the one dividing the living room on the other side.

“Let’s go find out how much money we have,” Bellamy said with a wicked grin.

Raven said to make it look like they didn’t hate each other so he’d done this walkthru with full on “Bellamy’s trying to get laid” charm. Clarke had sputtered a bit in the beginning. It had taken three takes to get the first part of the segment done because she either laughed at him or got distracted smiling at him.

“And cut,” Monty said from his spot next to the cameraman. “Raven is gonna love that.”

Clarke was shaking her head and he saw she ran her tongue across her teeth under her tightly closed lips.

“You should warn a girl,” Clarke said with a click of her tongue.

“Raven said be nice, that was me being nice.”  
  
“I’ve seen you be nice. That was you hoping Twitter will think we’re fucking.” Clarke ran her hand through her hair with what Bellamy would consider some coquettish moves of her own.  

“That was bare minimum. I can turn it up if you think you can handle it without jumping my bones on camera,” Bellamy whispered, leaning in closer and crowding Clarke.

She pushed him away with a hand on his chest and a scoff.

“Where do you want us for the money talk?” Clarke asked Monty, but Bellamy saw her cheeks flush. He knew he’d gotten under her skin.

“Raven is going to be at that coffee shop down the street. But not until for another hour so you’ve got some time,” Monty explained.

“It’s actually really cute in here,” Clarke admitted before she turned on her heels and headed up the stairs.

Bellamy followed her up hoping to get in a few more jabs. They kept up the iciness for so long he’d forgotten she was actually fun to flirt with. They’d done it once before, the week they were cast, but ever since, it made more sense to fight and compete and keep things strictly professional.

Clarke stood in the hallway looking at framed photos on the wall. He caught her smiling at one. Bellamy cringed when he got close enough to see it was a collage of his school pictures from elementary school through high school. Octavia had insisted on keeping it and hanging it, she said it made her laugh, of course it did, it was embarrassing as fuck.

“I can see you go through puberty from seventh to ninth grade, look at you, went from adorable kid to pissy teenager,” she said her finger on the frame. “By senior year you look like you’re in a grunge phase and mad at the world.”  
  
“My mom died senior year,” he said with a shrug. “I had good reason to be mad at the world.”  
  
Clarke looked chastised. “I didn’t realize you were that young when she died, sorry.”

“It was almost 15 years ago, it’s fine.” Bellamy turned away from Clarke and leaned back against the wall. “At what point do people stop apologizing for a dead parent?”

“You’ve got 15 years, when I mention my dad, people still dump a whole bucket of condolences on me and he’s only been gone eight years.” Clarke continued to peruse the photos on the wall. “I wish people would acknowledge that I need more understanding because my mother is alive and guilting me about every move I make to this very day.”

Bellamy snorted. “God, your mother is a trip.” He remembered how badly the last family episode was to work on.

“She called me last night to invite me to Christmas with her new family,” Clarke said. “Like I want to hang out at her stuffy house with her new kid and her new husband. They’re so boring.”

Bellamy laughed now. “You’re totally not boring.”

Clarke glared at him. “She undid all your designs. Even repainted the living room. Said it felt ‘ethnic.’”

“I know you’re trying to make me feel bad about my reno on her house but all you’ve done is remind me your mom is a Republican white lady who is a little racist.”

Clarke sighed. “You’re not wrong.”

“She liked the new kitchen though, right?”

“I thought you didn’t care how she felt about your work?” Clarke raised an eyebrow and damn were her lips always that soft looking?

“I don’t but the marble cost a fortune so I’m just trying to make sure it didn’t end up on the curb.” It was all a lie. He did care because he’d put so much work into it but he wasn’t going to admit that.

“When I stopped in last year the kitchen looked the way you left it, well, minus the backsplash,” Clarke added.

“Miller cut his hand on that backsplash,” Bellamy said purposely not looking at Clarke. “Do not tell him it’s gone.”

“Got it,” she said walking into the bedroom.

Bellamy followed her, standing at the foot of Octavia and Lincoln’s bed he looked up at the ceiling. As far as he could see, the house was in good condition. It was about 30 years old but he didn’t see any indicators that this job would have a plot twist for the episode like mold, sinking foundation, or asbestos. There was always invisible stuff that could go wrong. You wouldn’t know it until you got the walls opened up, but he hoped this would be relatively incident free. He already had a list longer than the Mississippi River of all the things Lincoln wanted to change so Octavia would choose to stay.

“At least you don’t have to replace the floors,” Clarke said, walking around the bed.

“The wood needs to be spruced up a bit but they are in great condition,” he said hopping in place to feel the spring of the wood.

Clarke was looking out the window now and Bellamy took the chance to get at her again. He came up behind her, not touching her, just very close to her. He watched her tense but she surprised him by leaning against his chest and pointing out the window.

“See the playground,” she said even, no indication that his proximity affected her. “Your sister wants to stay in this neighborhood. She asked for no feta on her salad. She wants more bedrooms. She’s pregnant. Congrats, Uncle Bellamy.”

“What the fuck?” he said moving back so fast Clarke almost fell backwards. She regained her balance and turned a mocking smile on him.

“I might not be any fun but you’re kind of dense,” she said.

“She’s probably just...avoiding soft cheeses because of…” he blanked before going on. “Everyone likes good schools and playgrounds, it’s good for resale value. So is more bedrooms. That’s why.”

“Okay, bud, tell yourself what you gotta,” Clarke said patting him on the shoulder before leaving the room.

She just left him there after dropping that bomb. He wasn’t going to get any work done today.

 

\--

 

The rest of day one went by typically. They did the budget shoot in the late afternoon. It took twice as long as necessary because Bellamy kept missing his cues. Clarke caught him staring at his sister, his eyes narrowed every time she moved an arm towards her stomach. She probably should have held off on that reveal until later. It would have made him that much easier to work with but he was getting too close and flirty and Clarke liked that too much

With the future unsure, she didn't know if fucking him against the wall of his sister’s master bedroom was a good idea. If something magically happened and the show was renewed, what then? If the show was canceled, they'd have no reason to see each other or live near each other. It was tricky and she didn't like tricky. Clarke liked plans. Back up plans, exit strategies and flexible last minute ideas were all necessary in the next few months of her life.

So falling into whatever might be with Bellamy was a bad idea. Definitely. She could warm up the shoot without getting too close to Bellamy. That was doable. They’d been working together for five years. Icy and cold made it easiest but they could do slightly defrosted. It would be fine. And it would be over soon.

Clarke had conflicting feelings on having the show end. Of course, she wanted to keep her job. It was a cushy job. But she could find another one. Not a TV one. But being on TV wasn’t the be all and end all of her career. She could do other things. Or so she kept telling herself. Without the show her mother would be on her case constantly about moving closer to home. Well, her mother’s home. That was definitely not going to happen but she couldn’t just say that.

Now this city, if she had to set down roots, she could probably do it here. This was where she’d lived before the show. It was big enough to have everything she wanted, plus the real estate market was hot which would make it easy to get a new job.

All of her stuff was in this town, not in an apartment or anything, she’d subletted for the first year of the show and then ran out her lease and put her stuff in storage. The show traveled 10 months out of the year so the last two months she usually crashed at Wells’ house in Key West and tried to figure out excuses to avoid her mother.

Walking into Octavia and Lincoln’s house after the crews (both TV and construction) had left triggered Clarke’s thoughts as to where Bellamy spent the last two months of the year. Did he have a place here still? Did he hang out in this house? Probably not recently. In the last year she knew the relationship between the once close siblings had deteriorated but she wasn’t privy to why. She could have asked at any point but she didn’t think he’d tell her. They weren’t those kind of coworkers. For good reason. But the last two days had been a trip so why not?

“Is Raven gone?” Clarke asked Bellamy when she found him in the kitchen at the back of the house.

“She just left,” Bellamy answered without looking at her. He was concentrating on some paper in front of him.

“What’s that?”

“Just the old plans of the house, Miller picked them up from the city office so we work out the permits we’ll need,” Bellamy replied, again keeping his eyes on the plans.

Clarke watched him pull at his lip while running his other finger along the lines of the paper. It was one of those little things he did that wasn’t overtly sexy but Clarke had spent the last two days in this weird “thaw the ice” competition. Like a game of chicken, it was a matter of who would crack first. Or, she hoped that’s the game they were playing. Wasn’t she just saying she wasn’t going to start anything? Shit.  
  
“Your sister didn't like any of the three houses I showed her today,” Clarke said casually.

“She's picky,” Bellamy paused thoughtfully and finally looked at her. “Octavia doesn't know what her budget can get her, huh?”

“Her expectations are incredibly high,” Clarke said with a smile.

“Set her up a reality check property and she'll figure it out,” Bellamy said knowingly.

This was a regular tactic on the show. They did it once an episode. Show the couple an amazing house with everything they wanted, then drop the bomb of the price on them. It got the family to give in somewhere. They’d decide location or size or budget needed to be adjusted.

“Giving me advice on how to beat you?” she teased.

“It's our final show,” Bellamy said with a raised eyebrow. “Maybe I should just let you win.”

He smiled too easily, it made her stomach flutter like a teenager. Double shit.

“Oh no you don't,” Clarke said instead of smiling back, she went for offended. “I'm winning fair and square! I had reality check house on my list already.”

She pulled out the list to show him.

“It's on the list,” he said with a click of his tongue.

“Fuck you,” she mumbled. “Why are you even still here?”

“How did you know I was here?” he asked not at all flustered by her tone.

“You’re always the last one in the house.”

He shrugged at her like she was right. Of course she was right.

“I'm thinking about a nursery. I can do it. It will be a surprise for them. Grey and mint. Gender neutral, matte stripes, a comfy chair?” he rattled the plan off so quickly she had to take a minute to process it.

It was like he wasn’t sure of the idea himself. Bellamy never asked her for approval or advice on projects. Ever. One time he called her asking that she confirm for the couple that yes, their home value would increase when he redid the basement for them, but that was the closest to them working together.

“She'll love it,” Clarke finally said with what she hoped was a midlevel amount of enthusiasm. She didn’t want to go overboard. “Feels like a good apology, too. Though, I'm wondering what you have to apologize for.”

Clarke figured it was a roundabout, low key way to ask what had the siblings fighting.

“You used to be so close. I remember her being...very intense when you broke your arm.”

“I remember you demanding to ride in the ambulance so I don't think you can call anyone names,” Bellamy said with a scoff.

“No one should go to the hospital alone, especially in an ambulance,” Clarke said.

“Your dad died in an ambulance, didn’t he?” Bellamy asked honestly.

Clarke bit her lip. Desperately wanting to avoid a conversation about dead parents. Hers, his, any.

“I’m gonna go, see you tomorrow,” she managed to get out awkwardly.

“Wait, I’ll drive you back to the hotel,” Bellamy said like he knew he’d pushed too far. “You were looking for Raven for a ride back right?”

Clarke nodded.

“I walked over here from the last house I showed Lincoln and Octavia. It’s down the street and Lincoln _hated_ it,” Clarke explained as he packed up his stuff. “So I was talking to another agent who came in for a showing right as we were leaving. I ended up getting a bunch of leads from her. She was cute, too.”

That last part wasn’t necessary. Clarke was even a little embarrassed at herself for including it but it got Bellamy to give her a look.

“You planning on getting a booty call while we’re doing a family special? The last episode of our long running show?” he balked. “What will Twitter say?”

Clarke rolled her eyes. “Fuck you.”

“Is that a request or...?”

“You’re not smooth, asshole,” Clarke said but she smiled.

And he smiled. Triple shit. This show needed to be over soon. Her resolve was wearing thin.

 

\--

 

“Remember when you fucked Clarke?” Miller had too many drinks and he'd already gotten sappy with Monty. Now he was moving on to Bellamy.

“Wait a minute, I don't remember this,” Monty shouted causing a table behind them at the hotel bar to glare. “Clarke Griffin, the Clarke we work with?”

Bellamy took a pull of his beer before he sighed deeply at Miller.

“It was years ago,” Bellamy admitted and Monty’s eyes went wide.

“But you remember it,” Miller winked, except Miller wasn't good at winking so his whole face kind of twitched.

“No comment.” Bellamy looked away.

He considered the exits so he could bolt, but ultimately decided he wanted to finish his beer. He deserved it after not pushing Clarke up against the kitchen counter when she’d come into the house looking for Raven. He wasn’t going to think about eating her out while she was sitting on that shitty countertop that he was definitely replacing with quartz. That wasn’t a place Bellamy needed to visit. Skirting the flirting line for TV purposes was fine, imagining Clarke’s thighs over his shoulders was no good.

Miller turned to Monty, “He remembers. Two years ago on his birthday he got hammered enough to tell me he basically compares every sexual experience since to the time he had hot sex with Clarke.”

“You're fired.” Bellamy glared.

“We're all fired in two weeks,” Miller replied with a smile. “And you need me for this job.”

“This took a turn for the depressing. I don’t love being reminded we’re all fired,” Monty said looking into his cup somberly.

“You’ll be working on _House Hunters Tiny Studios In Random City Scape_ by New Year’s,” Bellamy said trying to comfort Monty.

“But I’ll be here, doing what exactly? Are you going to just be a general contractor? Coast on your fame? What the fuck am I doing tying my cart to your horse, Blake?” Miller asked, getting more irritated by the second.

“I don’t know, but I’ve got some ideas. Go get a different job if you want, you don’t owe me anything, man,” Bellamy said.

“What are your ideas?” Miller asked leaning his head on Monty’s shoulder.

Drunk Miller was not affectionate Miller except when Monty was around. That’s how they ended up finally going out. Drunk Miller asked out sober Monty. It was a whole thing all over the crew.

“I’d rather not tell you right now, I’ll just have to repeat myself later.” Bellamy took one last swig and stood up. “Speaking of tomorrow, just because you’re drunk doesn’t mean I’m gonna let you be late.”

“You spent at least an hour this morning measuring and sketching for an imaginary room that we don’t even know if the house can support, I think I can spend an hour tomorrow sleeping late,” Miller argued.

“You’re supposed to be getting the permits at City Hall,” Bellamy reminded him.

Miller gave a mock salute. “I’ll be there all morning sorting that out!”

“They’re not opening until 10am,” Bellamy said, remembering Octavia mentioned that Wednesdays were late starts for her at work. She worked in the mayor’s office.

“Yep,” Miller said. “Monty has to be to work at eight but I’m going to be very busy at City Hall for at least two hours, boss.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay.” Bellamy waved and headed back up to his hotel room.

 

\--

 

“Look at the double sinks!” Octavia squealed as she pet the fixtures in the master bathroom. “The countertop is huge in here! Is that a full wall of shower heads in there?”

She ran to the glass doors of the elegant shower with slabs of marble framing it.

“It’s a beautiful bathroom,” Lincoln admitted. “But Clarke, there’s no way we can afford this.”

Clarke smiled tightlipped.

“The crown molding! Tray ceilings in the master. Is that...is that a deck off the master?” Octavia said walking into the master. “I’m moving in tomorrow. This is beautiful!”

“Bellamy can build a deck in our backyard,” Lincoln tried as he took in the backyard from the deck.

“This yard is huge.” Octavia leaned into Lincoln’s chest and he put an arm around her.

It was perfect TV but Clarke also felt a twinge of guilt.

“Big enough for a swingset,” Octavia low enough that the mics wouldn’t pick it up, but Clarke heard. “This is amazing, Clarke, is this the kind of place you have?”

Clarke turned to Monty and he sighed.

“Octavia, how did you feel about the gender compartmentalized storage? Did you see it?” Monty asked filling his producer role perfectly by trying to keep Octavia on track.

“You aren’t like Bellamy are you?” Octavia asked ignoring Monty. “He has this shitty studio that he sublets the whole year except January and February. Can you believe that?”

Clarke looked at Monty again. He made a hand signal to the camera man but they kept rolling. Lincoln seemed to understand.

“Clarke, what does this house cost?” Lincoln asked.

“Well, it’s a little above your budget,” Clarke replied.

Octavia’s face fell and Clarke felt bad that she had to do this at all.  

“Fuck, this is a reality check house!” Octavia said.

“Cut, guys, let’s take a 10 minute break,” Monty said. “Octavia, we can’t use that in the episode, please.”

Octavia looked slightly chastised before turning her ire on Clarke. “You could have just said I was being too picky. I’ve seen your stupid show before.”

“I’m sorry,” Clarke said sincerely. “I wasn’t sure about doing this, but I put it on my list and then your brother suggested it and I just thought it would be okay.”

“I thought you hated my brother, why would you take his advice?”

“I don’t hate your brother,” Clarke said, the words felt foreign in her mouth.

Clarke had made a career of hating Bellamy Blake. He’d made one of hating her so it wasn’t like it was unfair. But with the show coming to an quick end and all the attempts to be nice, Clarke was finding she really didn’t hate Bellamy. Not even a little.

“He’s terrible at giving advice, so pro tip, don’t take his,” Octavia said, still clearly hurt about the reality check. “I’ll give in, it doesn’t have to be this exact neighborhood. But it’s got to be one with good schools. And a quick commute. And preferably a master bathroom that looks like that one.”

“Got it,” Clarke said taking her new list of priorities and jotting them down.

“Why did you steal that reality check thing from The Property Brothers, anyway?” Octavia asked.

“Actually, they stole it from me, and do not mention The Property Brothers around _your_ brother.”

“Why?” Lincoln asked.

“He hates them. Also, he might have gotten into a fist fight with Jonathan.”

Octavia started to laugh. “Oh god. Did you break it up?

“Hell no. I watched! They’re kind of dicks so I’m honestly surprised it took him four years to punch one of them. Bellamy has this whole speech about stepford-izing houses and ripping out original features that keep the homes unique. He feels like Drew and Jonathan cater too much to the homeowners.”

“Is this like the open concept rant?” Octavia asked.

“Yes!”

“Ranting is like Bellamy’s first love,” Octavia explained. “If only he’d love a person as much as he loved complaining on a soapbox about some injustice.”

“I’m sure he loves you that much,” Clarke offered but Octavia brushed it off.

“I know he loves me. He’s just an idiot.”  
  
“Why are you guys fighting?” Clarke asked thinking it followed the logical flow of conversation but Octavia clammed up quickly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to overstep. It’s none of my business.”

Octavia looked like she might say something but Monty came back in with the crew.  
  
“Okay, so Clarke will do the discussion about what things you’re willing to give up and then we’ll head over to the next house. Got it?”

“I got it.” Octavia’s closed off look was replaced with a wide smile directed at Monty.

“Just two more houses today and then you can check in on Bellamy at your house,” Clarke said.

Octavia and Lincoln nodded and took their spots in the shot Monty was setting up.

 

\--

 

“The story boards look good, we’re giving you a fake twist because the house is going really well, right? Work is chugging along at a good pace, right?” Raven asked Bellamy as they stood in what used to be Octavia and Lincoln’s living room. It was stripped bare, no insulation or drywall covering the walls, just beams.

Bellamy nodded. “The universe owed me one so the covered porch had enough load bearing beams that we start the expansion on the second floor tomorrow. The local guy says it will be done by next week so we’ll make our deadline.”

“Head’s up, your sister was pissed at Clarke over the reality check house,” Monty said tapping his pencil against the pad he was using.

“Great, did Griffin throw me under the bus?”

“Yes, I did,” Clarke said surprising Bellamy as she came into the house.

“You’re dependable,” he said in what he hoped was an unruffled tone but the way she smirked at him had him thinking she saw right through his act.

“We had a nice talk afterward but she is really pissed at you for something,” Clarke said.

“Monty and I are going to set up some cues upstairs for tomorrow then we’ll go to the hotel, give me 20 minutes,” Raven said to Clarke and Clarke nodded.

Monty and Raven went upstairs leaving Bellamy and Clarke alone in the bare living room. Bellamy instantly felt a thrill and tried to stamp that feeling down. It was a bad idea. The show was ending and Clarke would go onto other things and Bellamy was still unsure what he’d do.

“How much above her budget was the house?” Bellamy asked while packing up his tools.

Clarke stood with her hands in her coat pockets, rocking on her heels.

“Twenty.”

“Twenty _thousand_ above their budget? No wonder she was pissed,” Bellamy said.

“Still not as pissed at me as she is at you. It’s weird, I thought you guys were like a frickin’ sitcom sibling relationship. Like prime sitcoms, 80s and 90s, I’m talking Full House type close.”

“Just ask,” Bellamy said, annoyed with having to hold back and watching Clarke dance around it. He’d avoided her question a week ago and it was getting old now.

“What happened?” Her tone was soft and he had a flash of the first time he ever spoke to her.

A shitty hotel bar the night before call back auditions. She was all curves and smiles and just a little bit of stubbornness. He knew now that it was definitely a lot of stubbornness but he liked it.

The argument with Octavia happened in this very room. but not stripped down to bare bones and hollowed out. On the heavy couch that Lincoln didn’t want to move.

“She said I needed to stop using her as an excuse,” Bellamy said looking at the spot on the floor where the couch had been.

“An excuse? Was she right?” Clarke asked sounding confused.

“No.” He paused and then started again, somehow feeling the need to be honest with Clarke. Like she’d call him on his bullshit. “Yes. But she was harsh. It was 'you didn't go to college and you used me as an excuse.' Said I didn't marry some girlfriend from 10 years ago because I didn't want to make it weird and different for Octavia. Shit like that."

“So she was right,” Clarke added.

“Maybe,” Bellamy said with a heavy breath.

"So your answer was to just stop speaking to her?"  
  
"Seemed like the best course of action.”  Bellamy ran a hand through his hair realizing how dumb he’d been and suddenly being very embarrassed by it.

Clarke punched his shoulder. “You’re an idiot.”

Bellamy glared at her and rubbed his shoulder where her incredibly solid punch had landed.

“But I can hardly talk,” Clarke said surprising him. “My most successful relationship has been on TV with you. And we hate each other for the viewing audience’s entertainment so take what you will from that.”

“Eh, there was that woman, what, two years ago? And that guy from Italy, when we did the episode in Florence.” Bellamy realized his attempt to comfort Clarke made him sound like he cared a lot about who she dated.

Clarke leaned against the bannister and gave him a knowing look. “Are you keeping track of who I date?”

Her eyes twinkled mischievously and Bellamy bit the inside of cheek trying not to smile at her.

“I was trying to make you feel better. Something which you only sort of did when I aired my family dirty laundry after you asked,” He stepped closer to the bannister.

“We’ve been really busy. You could just say you kept forgetting to call,” Clarke offered.

Bellamy laughed. “I don’t think that will work.” He took another step, absently pushing on the banister. Maybe she’d believe he was checking the structural integrity.

“The nursery idea from the other night? That sounds like it will work. But you should probably at some point tell her she was right,” Clarke said and she licked her lips.

Bellamy swallowed. “I can do that.”

Clarke smiled wide and Bellamy remembered why someone put her on TV. That 100 watt smile was killer.

“Do you know how to admit you were wrong and someone else was right?” She leaned just a little closer to him.

His hand tightened on the banister spindle.

“I’ve done it once or twice in my lifetime.” It was his turn to lean in a little now.

“Since I’ve never witnessed it, can I watch you grovel?” Before he could answer, Clarke closed the gap, her lips on his.

He tried not to moan because he remembered this. She was good at this. Clarke started to pull away and Bellamy tried to reach for her but then he felt the banister shaking. Monty and Raven were coming down. He took two steps back and turned to his forgotten tools but he heard Clarke clear her throat behind him.

“Ready, Clarke?” Raven asked.

Bellamy felt a rush of pride when Clarke’s voice came out a little hoarse. “Yeah.”

“You coming, Bellamy?” Monty asked but Bellamy didn’t look at them still.

“Yeah, I’m just going to finish cleaning up. You guys go ahead.” He waved over his shoulder.

When he heard the front door shut he looked up at the ceiling and cursed. This was not a good idea but it was a fun idea.

 

\--

 

“Were you making out with Bellamy Blake at the bottom of the stairs,” Raven asked.

They were sitting in Raven’s hotel suite, Clarke was sitting in the chair with her feet on the coffee table flipping channels but it was nothing but holiday movies like Home Alone and Hallmark disasters.

“No,” she said casually.

“You’re a TV personality, not an actress.”

“What does that mean?” Clarke asked offended.

“It means you’re a shit liar.” Raven took the remote from her, trading her a drink for it.

Clarke pouted. “It’s a bad idea.”

“Yeah, we’re all well aware. I figured you two would know best,” Raven said. “I mean, I said defrost and be nice, not jump into bed together. But the show is ending, It’s not at all my call.”

“I don’t know what the fuck I’m gonna do when the show is done. I haven’t even thought to ask him what he’s doing. It’s a disaster waiting to happen,” Clarke said.

“Or it’s a love story five years in the making. You’re not wrong about Twitter, but think about People Magazine. They’d pay a shit ton for photos of your wedding.”  
  
“Slow down!” Clarke said sitting up frantic.

“I know about the night before we cast you two.” Raven raised an eyebrow and Clarke blushed.

“How?”

“You both rolled in with that freshly fucked look, and you were late, but you staggered your entrances, I’ve seen less obvious teenagers. Did you two realize in the cab you were going for the same show?”

“Yeah, it was all very _Grey’s Anatomy_ ,” Clarke said with a fond smile.

It was nice to finally let Raven know. Over the years Raven had become one of her best friends but she’d never told anyone about the night before the callbacks for the show. Her and Bellamy had wordlessly decided to not discuss it. They fell easily into hating each other. But clearly Raven wasn’t fooled.

“Damn.” Raven put her hands behind her head and scoffed. “I’ve got an idea.”

 

\--

 

The couch had to weigh 500 pounds. It had to. But it was a nice couch and he was getting close to budget so he kept it. The downstairs was almost done, just waiting on some furniture.

“Octavia, I can see from the front of the house to the back!” Lincoln said excitedly.

“Yeah, yeah, open concept,” Bellamy deadpanned, but he was glad Lincoln liked it.

“I hate to admit it but it does look good in here, Bellamy,” Octavia said but she didn’t smile. “I guess you know what the fuck you’re doing.”

“It’s not done and you can’t see the second floor yet. It’s still a mess up there,” he explained. “And actually this is the last time you can see the house before the big reveal.”  
  
Octavia frowned but Lincoln seemed to be bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Did you see the new appliances, babe? I didn’t even have to move them in, they just appeared here.”

“I moved them in, they’re heavy so you’re welcome,” Miller shouted from the other room.

“Nathan!” Monty groaned from his usual spot next to the camera man. “I already have to edit out Octavia saying ‘fuck,’ stop making my job harder!”

“Someone’s sleeping on the couch tonight,” Bellamy threw at Miller in the kitchen.

“Fuck you, man!” Miller gave Bellamy the finger before turning to Monty, contrite. “Sorry.”

“So I’ll see you in two days, okay?” Bellamy said to Octavia. “Wait, where do you want the Christmas tree? I know it’s just barely December but the episode will air on the 23rd of December so Raven wants the place done up.”

“If you guys can do the exterior lights I’ll buy you so much beer,” Lincoln said seriously.

“Nah, man, only interior stuff, sorry,” Bellamy said. “But maybe after the show I can stay and help?”

It was bold. He wasn’t invited to the wedding so it was presumptuous to expect to be welcomed at Christmas. Especially since last Christmas was when the big fight happened.

“You guys are all invited to stay for Christmas!” Lincoln said.

“Most of the crew will go home to their families,” Bellamy explained.

“But you and Clarke, you guys should stay,” Octavia cut in.

“Clarke?” Bellamy tilted his head.

“Yeah, just...yeah, Clarke.” Octavia shrugged and then headed toward the door.

“She didn’t say where she wanted the tree,” Bellamy said to Lincoln.

“Just put it wherever. The house looks totally different,” Lincoln said. “I trust you to make it look TV ready. It is your job.”

Bellamy waved goodbye and looked around the room, he’d have to put the tree somewhere. But he’d figure it out.

\--

 

She hadn’t seen him since the kiss two days ago. It’s not like it wasn’t unusual for the two of them to go a few days without seeing each other while filming. Especially when it got to crunch time for him. And they usually hated each other.

Clarke was all done filming now except for the final reveal. She’d found a house today that Lincoln and Octavia would buy. As usual, Clarke put in an offer to hold the house and drew up all the paperwork. In TV land it was a necessity. Houses didn’t just wait for a production schedule.

But she wanted to find Bellamy now. She had a minute and she was pretty sure he didn’t regret that kiss. She wanted to gauge what they were doing. If it was going to be a quickie and then the show was over and they parted ways or if they were maybe doing something. Really something. Clarke knew ideally what she wanted but she had lists and backup plans. She needed to be prepared and this was still a terrible idea. It could go so wrong.

The upstairs was rough. It smelled like paint and tile glue and all the floors were covered in drop cloths. But there was a whole new room, he’d pushed out the other side of the hallway and the new room was the perfect size. She found Bellamy there with three small cans of paint, sitting on an upturned 10 gallon bucket just staring at the swatches he’d put up on the wall.

“That one,” Clarke said pointing to the navy one in the middle as she positioned herself next to him.

“No.”

“You only said no because I picked it,” she shot back turning to him.

“So what if that’s the only reason, still a valid reason,” he said without looking at her but she watched a slow smile spread across his face.

“I’m tired of mint. It’s too played out since it was Pantone’s color of the year in 2013.” Clarke folded her arms and looked back at the swatches.

“Mint and gray look nice together. They’re going to be nice in here,” Bellamy defended.

“Then why did you even get the navy?”

“Sometimes you pick something you hate to remember why you liked the first thing.”

“Is that some kind of statement with a deeper meaning?” Clarke asked feeling insecure all of a sudden but trying to spin it to sound like she was teasing.

Bellamy laughed and finally looked at her. “No, not what you’re thinking anyway.” He bumped his shoulder against her waist. “Wanna rant about Pantone some more?”

“Yes! Do you know who is running that joint? They didn’t go to art school, they aren’t some graphic designer! That lady has a psych degree! What the fuck? Pantone can’t be trusted.”

“How dare they?” he said with mock offense.

“Oh stop, like I don’t listen to 100 rants a day about _The Property Brothers_ blowing their budgets when they should leave the subway tile in because it’s a classic feature or how people decided in the last 10 years that they all need to be able to entertain in their homes,” Clarke replied.

“No one, literally no one needs to _entertain_ like people claim they need space to entertain,” he came back.

“You’re the one in this industry.” She raised an eyebrow at him and he rolled his eyes.

“And you’re the woman that went to art school but sells houses for a living so…”

“That’s mean,” she said, jutting her lower lip out.

“I am mean. If you were so hurt about it why are you so close to me?” Bellamy tilted his head and she realized how close she was in the fading light.

He stood up so Clarke shifted from looking down at him to having to look up. He reached around her to the lightswitch on the wall and flipped it but nothing happened. His arm was touching her shoulder and Clarke tried to calm her senses. She wasn’t a teenager and skin on skin this mild shouldn’t be exciting.  
  
“That’s just the game we’re playing now isn’t it? Who’s going to flinch first.” Clarke said finally as he messed with the lightswitch.

“I haven’t flinched in five years.” Bellamy’s voice was low and she saw his adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. “Not that I haven't wanted to.”

Clarke wanted to laugh at the statement. He wanted to. She wanted to. What harm would it be if they just did what they wanted?

“I’m not going to flinch first,” she said with a playful scoff.  
  
“You did the other night.” His grin was wolfish.

“That was a mutual flinching,” she argued leaning in just a little bit, she wondered if he’d follow suit.

“I’m very sure you’re wrong but whatever,” Bellamy said, moving his hand to her waist.

“I’m not going to flinch first tonight,” Clarke said, hoping he’d meet the challenge.

“Because you don’t know how to have fun.” But the usual sting of the words was absent. 

“You’ve been saying that for five years.” Clarke didn’t break eye contact even when lightning flashed outside the newly installed window behind him. “Just pretending that we weren’t late to the callbacks for this show because we had far too much fun the night before.”

“I don’t remember that. It’s been a long time. Wanna show me again?” he asked, using the hand at her waist to pull her flush against him

“You’re full of shit,” she whispered, her mouth inches from his.

“I remember vaguely,” he said before capturing her lips.

Clarke wasn’t sure why it was a bad idea in this moment. In the moment it was soft and heated, it was give and take and need pooling in her gut.

Bellamy walked her back two steps and she was against the wall. He moved to kiss along her jaw and up to lick the shell of her ear. His hot breath sending a pang of wanting through her. She went to work on his belt and shivered when he slid a hand down to hike her pencil skirt up. With one hand on her cheek, his mouth continued a trail along her neck, his other hand skimming her thigh, running a track back and forth, coming just a little closer every time to where she wanted him most.

Clarke couldn’t do anything but gasp when he ran a finger under the elastic of her panties at her hip. The simplest touch had her squirming. Her own hands had been exploring the skin of his stomach but now she boldly pushed his pants down. He groaned and lifted her by her ass. Clarke wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him. Her tongue seeking his out.

A clap of thunder outside distracted her momentarily, she pulled back from him and looked out the window to see the lightning follow the thunder. Bellamy though, was completely focused on her. He took the moment to brace her against the wall and move her panties over, positioning himself just right. That was one way to bring her attention back to him.

She sunk down with a hiss and he gave her the slightest smile. It was content and vulnerable and Clarke felt her heart pick up speed. Instead of thinking about that though, about how she shouldn’t feel this way and how this was definitely a bad idea, she wrapped her arms around his neck tighter and kissed him again as he pumped into her. The sensations were building and as soon as she closed her eyes and lost herself in the rhythm of the movements, she felt herself nearing the edge.

They’d done this before and it was easy. Clarke had girlfriends who talked about sexual compatibility but she’d only thought of Bellamy and the night five years ago when they were just strangers, they didn’t know they’d be tied to each other for years. Now they were on the precipice of being separated and it felt like a waste to Clarke that they’d wasted all those years in a competition, pretending to not care about the other person for some strange idea of professionalism.

Bellamy gripped her ass tighter and Clarke cried out as the waves washed over her. He followed her through it and then gently put her back down. She leaned against the wall for support and reached her arm out to the lightswitch like he’d done before.

“So the power’s out, huh?” she said before dissolving into giggles.

He ran a hand through his hair, trying to catch his breath. “That was a really bad idea,” he said.

Clarke’s face fell instantly but he caught her and started to shake his head.  
  
“No, I mean, I didn’t use a condom, please tell me you’re on the pill or something, I’m clean I just...I don’t mean the sex itself was a bad idea.” He scrubbed the back of his neck. “That was a really good idea, or a really fun one at least.”

His smile was boyish and Clarke’s heart sped up again. She was so fucked. Literally, figuratively. All of it.

“Yeah, I’m good, clean and a fresh depo shot like last month,” she explained.

He cleared his throat while he zipped up his pants. “Good to hear, definitely a good idea then.” Bellamy stepped closer to her like he was going to kiss her again but at the last minute he stopped. “Shit.”

Clarke watched him knock over one of the small sample cans of paint.

“Whoops,” she said.

“Don’t just stand there, help me clean it up!” he snapped, watching the paint spread.

“There’s a drop cloth, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“Says the person that doesn’t have to worry about redoing the new floors,” Bellamy said while grabbing the cloth and pulling it up carefully, trying to keep the spilled paint contained.

“And I’m the one that doesn’t know how to have fun? Okay, pal,” Clarke said, grabbing a roll of paper towels and getting to work cleaning up the mess.

 

\--

 

Octavia had been wide eyed and impressed from the moment she’d walked into the completed house. Lincoln, as expected, was ecstatic. Bellamy felt good knowing that they liked it. Even if they didn’t choose it over whatever grand new home Clarke found for them. Just seeing that they liked it enough to keep smiling and walking through to the next spot made him feel better about every choice he’d made from backsplash to french doors.

“There’s one special thing I wanted to show you, I managed to get you a third bedroom,” he said.

He was nervous. But he saw Clarke behind them, off camera, give him a big thumbs up. She looked ridiculous but it made him feel better.

Bellamy waited for Monty to get the cameraman in position and then he opened the door to the nursery. Octavia gasped. She covered her mouth and then he knew he’d done it because she started to cry. Lincoln clapped his shoulder.

“Oh, Bell, how’d you know?” Octavia asked, gently touching a stuffed rabbit on the bookshelf.

“I didn’t, Clarke figured it out, all your talk of swing sets and good school districts, and not eating soft cheese,” Bellamy explained.

“The color scheme is perfect, and this rocker,” Octavia cooed as she sat down in the plush, navy chair. “This is the best part of the whole house. Thank you.”

She stood up and wrapped her arms around his middle.

“I’m sorry for the other thing, from last year,” he said against her hair, too low for the mics to pick up. “You were right and I was being a dick.”

“You’re forgiven, jerkface.” Octavia pulled away and rolled her eyes at him before shouting out to the hall. “Clarke! Come in here!”

Clarke peeked her head through the door. “It’s not time to do the big _Love It or List It_ moment yet, Octavia. Take some time with your brother.”

“I wanted to hug you, come here and let me hug you,” Octavia said and Bellamy saw Clarke hesitate.

“I didn’t do anything,” Clarke tried to brush her off.

“Shut up and let me hug you,” Octavia said. “You two are perfect for each other, no one else is as stubborn as him.”

Clarke meekly accepted Octavia’s hug and Bellamy smiled at her over Octavia’s shoulder.

“We’re definitely going to stay in this house,” Octavia said as she let go of Clarke. “Sorry I made you show me like 15 houses.”

“It was 23 but who’s counting,” Raven said from the doorway. “This is just beautiful fucking TV. This is going to rate higher than that new Christmas Hallmark movie with Katherine Heigl. Good job, team.”

“Won’t save the show,” Bellamy said honestly.

“We’re going to pitch them a new one, right?” Clarke asked Raven and Bellamy perked up.

“I’ve got ideas,” he cut in.

 

\--

 

_One Year Later_

 

The slab of marble was smooth and cold and Bellamy was definitely not imagining pushing Clarke against it. He wouldn’t do that. Nah. This marble was for the house they were flipping. They would not have sex against it.

Or...he could make reasonable goals and promise himself they’d only have sex against it like...once. That was more realistic.

“We’re not putting marble countertops in this house. The neighborhood comps are far below marble countertops,” Clarke said coming to stand next to him in the warehouse.

“But it’s so pretty!” he argued. “When we put the stainless steel appliances in the kitchen, what are you gonna put as countertops instead? Granite? No. Granite is too last year. People want quartz or they want marble.”

“Then we’re going to put quartz in it. Marble is too high end.” Clarke pulled out a pad and marked something off a list. She had so many lists.

“But-” he tried but she shook her head.

“You’re blowing the entire budget on marble. The goal is to make money by renovating the house. We want to keep more money in our pockets.”

“I know how the real estate market works, don’t patronize me, Griffin,” Bellamy said grabbing onto her belt loops and pulling her closer.

“I’m the real estate agent, you’re the designer, let me decide what will and won’t sell in this neighborhood.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his nose. “Quartz. But I’m willing to compromise, get the really expensive quartz.”

Bellamy sighed. “Fine.”

“Cut,” Monty said but Clarke and Bellamy stayed where they were.

“You kissed my nose on national TV,” Bellamy said.

Clarke shrugged. “Seemed like the right thing to do.”

“As if Twitter doesn’t already go ape shit, you’re fueling the fire.”  
  
“You’re like two moves from pushing me up against this marble, sweetie,” Clarke said. “I had to cool you off, remind you we’re on camera.”

“I’m not that transparent,” he said with a pout.

“You definitely are and that’s why Twitter loves us.” Clarke kissed his nose again.

“You two are so adorable it’s disgusting,” Raven shouted as she came towards them. “Which is exactly why I’m here to announce we’ve just been renewed for a second season. _Flip Or Flop_ is a huge success and people can't stop talking about you two being in love. Congratulations.”

Bellamy let go of Clarke and she ran to hug Raven. He high fived Miller and then Monty.

“That’s it for today, go home and enjoy Christmas,” Raven announced to the crew then turned to Clarke and Bellamy. “Don’t you two have to be at Octavia and Lincoln’s?”

“Yes, and we bought the loudest, most obnoxious toy at the toy store. Octavia is going to hate us,” Bellamy said with a wide smile.

“But that baby is going to be calling us the favorite relatives for years to come,” Clarke added.

“Aunt Clarke and Uncle Bellamy, jesus, you two are a nightmare for parents. I’m definitely never having children for you to spoil,” Raven huffed.

“We’re the best,” Clarke said, reaching to Bellamy for a high five.

“Totally,” he agreed.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
